Dazzling Bears Coaches on a Daily Basis
The Bears still have only one wide receiver under contract for 2022, starter Darnell Mooney.
It's a good bet a few more currently on the roster will be offered the chance to return and among them is rookie Dazz Newsome, the 2021 sixth-round draft pick from North Carolina. Still on the practice squad, Newsome could be signed away by another team but the Bears at season's end can retain him with a futures contract or even a one-year deal.
Explosive return man Jakeem Grant and slot receiver Damiere Byrd have made major contributions as the season has gone on, but Newsome's improvement has gone unnoticed outside Halas Hall because it occurred on the scout team in practice.
It's not unlike what happened last year with edge rusher Trevis Gipson.
"I would say he's one of the most improved players that we have and I've seen that throughout the season—on scout team and going against these guys," wide receivers coach Mike Furrey said. "His confidence of playing the game, his savviness of playing the game, he's a football player."
Newsome might be in a different spot but the broken collarbone he suffered at the start of organized team activity workouts. So he was behind other rookies' development when training camp began and the decision was made to cut him and stash him on the practice squad.
He has been in two games, made a 10-yard reception and also the 28-yard punt return to set up a Bears touchdown against Seattle.
Furrey recently had a talk with Newsome.
"I was telling him, I said, 'Listen Dazz, you've improved tremendously' -- and a lot of it's just that knowledge and that understanding of he belongs and can play at this level -- and then it was really, as we all know, just waiting for that opportunity to get a chance to go in and obviously, you have an idea of what he’ll do, you just don’t know if he'll do it," Furrey said.
Not all of what Newsome has done involved carrying the ball on a return or receiving. Furrey was amazed at his hustle and blocking on the 30-yard catch-and-run by Mooney to start the game-winning drive.
"We were just talking about at the end of the game—and look who's trying to dive and push Mooney out of those tackles—it was 83 (Newsome)," Furrey said. "It was unbelievable. That's the energy he's brought to our room all year and it's great to see it now on the football field and he's doing a great job with his opportunity."
Coach Matt Nagy has emphasized the need to continue winning over simply throwing younger players on the field, but with effort like the Bears saw from Newsome against Seattle it's possible the two things can be one in the same. They've already had contributions by every draft pick they made in 2021, from first-rounder Justin Fields through seventh-round nose tackle Khyiris Tonga.
The future may or may not include this coaching staff but Newsome is showing he can be part of the scene after this year, and it will be interesting to see if they use him as an active player this week with a more full receiver group now back, including Allen Robinson and possibly Grant.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
